Anne Applebaum
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Trump pressures Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil, lifts diesel sanctions, urges new Ukrainian president
US President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia on October 11 and, separately, agreed with Vladimir Putin to lift sanctions on Russian diesel fuel imports. When Ukraine refused to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, Trump threatened to halt intelligence sharing and arms sales, publicly called for Ukraine to elect a new president, and pushed Kyiv to accept terms Ukrainian officials describe as capitulation. Russia struck a Kharkiv power station within hours of the announced ceasefire, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv formally confirmed that a binding deal exists.